Grand Duke Travis

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His Royal Highness
Grand Duke Travis
Grand Duke of Westarctica
Overlord of Calsahara
Baron of Flandrensis

Grand Duke of Westarctica
Second Reign 2 June 2010 - Present
Preceded by Grand Duke Jon-Lawrence
King of Calsahara
Reign 24 November 2009 - October 2013
Preceded by Throne Established
Grand Duke of Westarctica
First Reign 6 June 2004 - 16 January 2006
Preceded by Throne Established
Successor Grand Duke Philip
Consul-General of the Achaean Territory
In Office 12 September 2001 - 6 June 2004
Preceded by Position Established
Consort Prince-Consort Dinny (m. 28 Dec 2016)
Grand Duchess Grand Duchess Cathryn (m. Nov 2004; div. Jun 2013)
Consular Consort Rebecca St. Ann (Jan 2003 - Mar 2004) never married
Issue Prince Ashton Roman
Prince Daniel Nicholas
Father Daniel McHenry
Mother Deborah McHenry
Born 4 June 1980

His Royal Highness, Grand Duke Travis (birth name Travis McHenry) is the founder and current Head of State of Westarctica, a micronation, new country project, and environmental non-profit corporation.

The Grand Duke has been involved with various micronations, and has founded three of his own, starting in 1996 with the Kingdom of Casbah, then Westarctica in 2001, and finally Calsahara in 2009. In between these projects, he served as a governor for two provinces of Molossia.

Early life

Travis Daniel McHenry was born 4 June 1980 in rural Benton, Pennsylvania, a town with a population of less than 1,000 people where the McHenry family has lived for over two hundred years; having first settled in the Fishing Creek Valley in the late 1700s on a 1,000+ acre tract of land deeded to Daniel McHenry by John Penn, the son of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania.

Travis was an unexceptional student in elementary school, being consistently reprimanded on report cards for having too much energy and being a distraction to others. In high school, he showed an aptitude for history, English, and acting, but repeatedly failed math classes and was reputedly the leader of a shadowy gang known as The Moonshine Crooks.

He was accepted into the undergraduate theater program at Bloomsburg University during his first semester as a high school senior and would leave high school early to attend university classes in the evenings.

The Kingdom of Casbah

Main article: Kingdom of Casbah

During the spring / summer of 1995, Travis founded the break-away Kingdom of Casbah in rural north-eastern Pennsylvania. Travis proclaimed himself Maharaja, and ruled the agrarian nation with an iron fist. As a result of his various eccentricities and demanding temperament (including the creation of a religion devoted to the worship of the pagan deity Pan) he was overthrown twice, with the second usurpation resulting in his exile and the collapse of Casbah’s government in October 2000. The events of his reign in Casbah were later satirized in his stage play Delusions of Grandeur.

Naval career

Travis left college to pursue a career in the United States Navy where he served for eight years as an Intelligence Specialist with a Top Secret/SCI security clearance onboard the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) and as an instructor the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His primary specialty was Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (ATFP) and foreign country military capabilities.

Claiming Marie Byrd Land

Main article: Achaean Territory of Antarctica

In August 2001, while serving in the U.S. Navy, Travis discovered a loophole in the Antarctic Treaty which legally allowed him to claim a huge swath of land on the Antarctic continent for himself. Travis solidified this claim on 2 November 2001 when he notified nine world governments of his claim and his intention to establish a sovereign nation on the Antarctic ice.


This area was initially called The Achaean Territory, but became a fully functioning nation named Westarctica in 2004.

Travis took the title Grand Duke and ruled Westarctica as a peaceful and progressive monarch. During this time, he made many diplomatic friendships with other international leaders and did much to advance the recognition of Westarctica among member-governments of the United Nations. Grand Duke Travis ruled Westarctica until 2006 when he turned over the reigns of government to his successor Grand Duke Philip.

On 3 June 2010, Travis reclaimed the throne of Westarctica from Grand Duke Jon-Lawrence and promptly proclaimed Westarctica a protectorate.

Involvement With Molossia

Immediately following his abdication of the Westarctican throne, Travis was approached by President Baugh of Molossia and offered a position as Grand Admiral of the Molossian Navy. He graciously accepted the ceremonial military post and shortly thereafter was appointed to the post of Governor of New Antrim, a ten-acre Molossian protectorate in northeastern Pennsylvania.

File:Molossia Visit.jpg
King Montague in Molossia

During his service with Molossia, Grand Admiral Travis fought in the Molossia-Mustachistan War, which lasted for two months in 2006. The Grand Admiral served with distinction on the Eastern Front by leading the Molossian Navy to victory in the Battle of Lake Jean, a feat for which he was awarded the Mustachistan War Medal. As Governor he successfully mediated the New Antrim Tobacco Crisis in 2007. Travis served as Governor of New Antrim from 2006 until the dissolution of New Antrim in late 2008.

Not one to go unemployed for long, in early 2009, President Baugh asked Travis to continue his service to Molossia by becoming the Governor-General of Desert Homestead, a Molossian province near Joshua Tree, California. While the hot, desolate province was a dramatic change from the green forests and flowing rivers of New Antrim, Travis accepted the post and began his tenure as Governor-General. His accomplishments included the clearing of rubbish from Desert Homestead, and the construction of Baugh Terrace, a monument to the Baugh family.

King of Calsahara

Travis acquired 2.5 acres of barren land in California Valley and founded the nation of Calsahara in November 2009, proclaiming himself king of the new country. In an unusual move, Travis decided to adopt a regnal name, and chose the name Montague. While ruling as King Montague, he developed Calsahara into a thriving micronation with a rich, diverse culture.

Personal life

From 2007 - 2013, the Grand Duke was a professional actor, frequently appearing on stage, film, and television. In addition to acting, he has written many books including Tales of Terror, Delusions of Grandeur, The Warrior Poet, and his best-selling book, Into the Abyss: The Memoirs of a Paranormal Adventurer.

Full title

Main article: List of Titles and Honorifics of Grand Duke Travis

The Grand Duke's full title as used in his capacity as Head of State of Westarctica is His Royal Highness, Travis, Grand Duke of Westarctica, Overlord of Calsahara, and Baron of Flandrensis.

However, he also has numerous subordinate titles, many of which come from realms he previously ruled or various honorifics that have been granted by foreign governments. Additionally, he still possesses a litany of unused titles from his time as King of Calsahara, none of which were abandoned when he quit the throne.

Honors and Awards

Grand Duke Travis has received numerous awards, knighthoods, and honorary military appointments as a result of his diplomatic outreach and cooperation with foreign nations.

Westarctican Honors

Foreign Honors

Military Ranks

External links

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